Discover Ancient Warfare Magazine Vol X.5 - The Legacy Of Cyrus

Ancient warfare magazine vol x.5 - the legacy of cyrus

The empires of persia at war

Topic: cristian violatti, the empires of persia at war - historical introduction

Medes, persians, or achaemenids? ancient sources rarely bothered to differentiate between them. their tribes united and became kingdoms, and their kingdoms became empires. some of the most decisive chapters of ancient wars were written when their constantly changing borders brought them face to face with the great western powers.

Topic: daan nijssen, cyrus's conquest of babylon - how history became myth

The conquest of babylon by cyrus is relatively well-documented thanks to the nabonidus chronicle, the cyrus cylinder, and later greek sources such as herodotus and xenophon. it seems this event left traces in later persian oral tradition, as a story similar to cyrus's conquest of babylon can be found in the shahnameh, the national epic of iran.

Topic: sidney e. dean, cyrus and the conquest of media - the beginning of greatness

Legend has it that the median king astyages dreamed that his daughter's son would invade his kingdom. to prevent this, he married his daughter mandane to a prince cast aside at the edge of his kingdom. but legends teach that fate cannot be cheated. the couple had a son named cyrus who would indeed dethrone his grandfather and forge an empire larger than all those before it.

Topic: murray dahm, my men have turned into women! - artemisia of halicarnassus

In his account of xerxes' invasion of greece, herodotus goes to great lengths to account for artemisia, the tyrant of halicarnassus, before, during, and after the battle of salamis. this account, and artemisia herself, are remarkable for a variety of reasons, but the idea of a capable female commander had a great impact on the ancient world.

Topic: steve christian-noonan, a look at aeschylus's persians - persian grief, athenian triumph

The persians is a greek tragic play written by aeschylus and is also the only extant play, besides comedies, whose subject is not taken from legend, but from the recent history of athens, i.e., the battle of salamis (480 b.c.). it provides the reader with the earliest account of the battle witnessed by the playwright, who may have also been present at the battle of plataea (479 b.c.).

Topic: robert holmes, the persian scythed chariot - a reaping whirlwind

The persians had a long association with the war chariot, beginning in the days of their aryan ancestors. however, despite this long association, the persians never seem to have made as extensive use of the war chariot as some of their neighbors. nonetheless, they did develop the most recognizable and impressive war chariot of the ancient world.

Topic: arnold blumberg, the army of the persian empire, 490-330 b.c.

Achaemenid persia was the greatest power of the classical world, stretching from india to egypt and throughout asia minor. its almost invincible armies were composed of a mix of infantry, archers, and cavalry. the idea that hoplite warfare was superior, as marked by the greek victory at marathon, is challenged, as before that contest the persian armies won battle after battle against hoplites during the ionian revolt of 499-493 b.c.

Topic: konstantin nossov, fortress europos (dura-europos) - pompeii of the desert

Dura-europos - a hellenistic, then parthian and roman city - was located on the euphrates, about 250 kilometers from palmyra. destroyed by the sassanians in the mid-third century a.d., dura-europos never revived and has been called the pompeii of the syrian desert (rostovtzeff). the dry climate and sand kept numerous rare artifacts well preserved: the siege ramp, a mine with remains of warriors, weapons, wooden shields, and arrows for throwing machines. what will remain of this unique monument after the current war in syria?

Topic: alexander stover, ancestors of a formidable archery tradition

Whether as heavily armed cataphracts or as foot soldiers, the armies of the sassanid empire used archery to devastating effect in wars against enemies like the romans and the huns. the methods of individual persian archers of late antiquity provide a fascinating glimpse into a martial art and sport that enjoyed great prestige in their society. long after the sassanid empire succumbed to the muslim conquests, they were remembered with awe and respect.

Graphic history: josho brouwers, alexander the great in surprise attacks - stealing victory

When, on the eve of the battle of gaugamela in 331 b.c., some of alexander's companions saw the numerous fires lit by the persian hosts on the plain, they were afraid to face this vast army in broad daylight. they led the king to attack the persian camp under the cover of a dark council. but alexander refused and said: i will not steal victory.

Special: joseph hall, defining (and denying) the force of violence

Until recently, academia has denied the ubiquity of violence in antiquity. however, even now that attitudes are changing, the fact that violence has been ignored as a subject for so long means it is still a very understudied field of research. few people would dispute the claim that the roman empire was created and maintained largely through the use of force, so why has the study of such force - in all its contexts - received so little attention until now?

The debate: robbert bleij, roman heavy infantry on the battlefield - lines and limits

For as long as i can remember, i have been fascinated by the behavior of human beings under pressure, not only in my personal life but also as a student of history. my thesis lines and limits deals with the psychological and physical limits and possibilities of soldiers under stress in the late republic and early principate period.

Hollywood romans: david l. reinke, a lively and dignified epic - the 300 spartans

Considering the legendary aspects of thermopylae, it is surprising that hollywood has ignored this fundamental engagement. with the exception of a few documentaries, there are only two feature films to speak of: the 300 spartans (1961) and, much more recently, zack snyder's 300 (2006). a quite lively epic with a certain dignity, is how film critic leslie halliwell summarized the 300 spartans, with a laconic brevity worthy of the spartans.

At Todo Medieval we have thousands of medieval and other era products. Discover them!